Digital Tibetan Altar as an interesting blurb about some Hare-Brained Scheme to fly one hundred million dollars in gold out of the Tibet on behalf of the Panchen Lama back in the 1930s. Apparently some Iowan named Gordon Bandy Enders was involved in the plot (beware of Iowans). This was just one of many conspiracies swirling about the Panchen Lama at the time. The Roerichs were also involved in some nebulous plot to create a Pan-Buddhist country in Inner Asia with the Panchen Lama at its head (of course the Roerichs wanted to model this country on Shambhala). Enders wrote a book about his adventure entitled Foreign Devils. How much of it is true is hard to say, but it is a rip-roaring read.
Speaking of books, I popped by the Internom Bookstore the other day for the Gala Book Party celebrating the recent publication of a Mongolian translation of The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche.
English Language Version